Two men arrested for raping niece over two-year period

Police in Can Tho city have arrested two men for allegedly repeatedly raping their 14-year-old niece over a period of two years.

Ho Tuan Hung, 38 and Ho Van Dil, 27, were apprehended Tuesday.

Preliminary investigation showed that the two men, the girl's uncles on her father's side, raped her on a number of occasions since 2016 until September this year.

Hung said he committed the act after seeing Dil did it several times.

He reportedly admitted to giving the girl VND50,000 ($2) each time he raped her.

The girl was so scared of the two men that she ran away from home in November before returning at the end of the month. She narrated her ordeal to her family who then complained to the police.

A report submitted to the National Assembly last month revealed that in the first 11 months of this year 457 cases of child sexual abuse were reported, 2.47 percent up from last year. Over 20 percent involved family members, it said.

In Vietnam, rape of a child aged between 13 and 16 faces up to death penalty.